Xbox One

In an attempt to slow the coronavirus outbreak, health organizations like the WHO and the CDC are recommending that people exercise social distancing in communities where the virus is spreading. On top of that, sports organizations like the NHL and NBA have postponed the remainder of their seasons, Broadway theaters are closed until further notice, film distributors are delaying major upcoming films, and there's even talk of movie theaters temporarily closing.

It's a pretty big day for Call of Duty fans, as Activision is launching a new battle royale title called Warzone. The game was officially revealed yesterday, and instead of requiring a copy of Modern Warfare to play, Activision is making it free-to-play for everyone. When it comes to consoles and free-to-play games, there's always a question of whether or not you'll need to have an active subscription to your platform's online service in order to play, and for Warzone, it turns out that the answer depends on which console you own.

Microsoft's range of Xbox One Phantom controllers - which have a translucent gradient design - look pretty good, but so far, the color options have been limited. Thus far, Phantom controllers have only been available in white and black, two colors that aren't very exciting. That's all going to change later this month, when Microsoft releases a new Phantom controller in magenta.

We're well past the time when games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band were at the height of their popularity, but all this time, Harmonix has been plugging away by releasing various titles centered around music in one way or another. Today, the Rock Band and Dance Central developer announced a new title called Fuser, which puts players in the shoes of a festival DJ.

Paying a monthly fee that includes getting access to some free games has seemingly become the new norm in the gaming biz. Streaming services like Google Stadia and new stores like Epic Games Store have recently joined that bandwagon but consoles have long been at the head of that line. In fact, Xbox has just announced the games that Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to get their hands on starting in a few days and they will have their choice of gritty dark action or lighthearted platforming fun.

If you've ever felt like the Xbox One home screen looks a little too busy, then you'll probably be very pleased with the console's February 2020 update that's shipping out today. Among other things, the update delivers a new streamlined home screen that cleans things up significantly. These features have been in testing since last year, so if you're an Xbox Insider, you've probably already seen them.

Throughout the day, the Xbox Series X has dominated news, but there's a new feature on the way to Xbox One that may excite a number of users. At some point in the near future, it seems that Xbox One owners will be able to eject the disc that's in their console simply by pressing a button on their controllers. It's a simple and straightforward feature, but it could be necessary for some users.

Earlier today, Microsoft announced a bunch of new details about Xbox Series X. Microsoft's announcement included information about the console's CPU, GPU, and SSD, but one thing that stuck out was the reveal of a feature named Smart Delivery. With Smart Delivery, those who buy a game that's available on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X will automatically download the proper version for their console, which is certainly handy.

Deadpool is the latest skin available in Fortnite courtesy of the latest in Battle Pass bundle rewards. The Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 2 Patch was also released today - it's jam packed with a bunch of oddities - including decoy grenades and disguises. Proximity mines are here too - but they're not quite so big a surprise as the... very strange new skin called Meowscles.

No Man's Sky fans are getting a rather interesting update today. While past updates have focused on things like fleshing out multiplayer and base building, this new update focuses on ships. Specifically, players will now encounter living ships - quite literally organic ships that have new capabilities and limitations when compared to the ships that are already in the game.

Hasbro has teamed with 343 Industries to launch a new line of Halo-themed NERF Blaster products. The toy firearms will be released in the US and UK soon, giving Halo fans their own foam-dart toys. The current NERF Halo line includes a blaster designed to look like the Needler, as well as a large rifle and a small gun.

Today week Megan Spurr, Community Manager, Xbox Game Pass spoke up on the next several waves of games coming to Xbox Game Pass for Console, starting on February 20. That's Thursday of this week, where Ninja Gaiden II starts off the big push on Xbox One. Also in the mix: Kingdom Hearts III, Two Point Hospital, Wasteland Remastered, Yakuza 0, Jackbox Party Pack 3, and more.